Often forgotten places: Apply sunscreen correctly – it’s the only way to protect our skin!

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The sun – puts a smile on our face, but not always: without the right protection, we burn our skin, which can cause skin cancer. Sun exposure may also be responsible for skin aging, pigmentation and DNA damage.

That’s why sun protection is the beginning and the end of everything! First of all, it must be applied correctly. Dr. Felix Bertram (48) is an FMH specialist in dermatology and founder and owner of skin resurfacing clinics for dermatology and plastic surgery in Aarau and Lenzburg AG. As the expert explains, most people only lie down on the tube when they’re already lying in the sun. This is an error. “And then a very thin layer of cream is applied.”

According to the Cancer League, there are about 2,800 new cases of skin cancer in Switzerland each year. Skin cancer is one of the most common but also preventable types of cancer. Because it is in our hands how well we apply sunscreen and how we protect ourselves from harmful sun rays with clothing, hats and sunglasses.

Ears and neck are often forgotten when applying lotion.

Most of the time things have to be done quickly: you don’t have much time, you really want to sunbathe a little more, and you apply sunscreen when you’re stressed. Sometimes you may not be able to provide the same amount of sun protection to all skin areas. Bertram speaks of places that his patients often unconsciously skip: “One tends to forget about the ears or neck.” You should not forget to apply a sufficient amount of sunscreen there as well.

According to the expert, in addition to sunscreen, you should pay attention to other sun protection: “Covering clothing, a hat, and staying in the shade if possible – that’s even more important,” says Bertram.

The right sunscreen

But a question constantly arises: Which sun protection should I choose for my skin? The specialist clearly states: “It depends on the skin type and the duration of self-protection.” He gives an example: the fair skin type has a self-protection time of ten minutes, which means that their skin can protect itself from UV radiation for about ten minutes before it starts to “burn”.

Now if you add the sun protection factor, that tells you by what factor the self-protection time increases. According to Bertram, 50 would theoretically turn ten minutes into 500 minutes. But that’s just theoretical: “Because we apply sunscreen very thinly and swim, dry, etc. The expert recommends using a sun protection factor of 50 and applying cream every 60 to 90 minutes.

Regardless of the price, all sun protection products available in Switzerland are of excellent quality. Whether you use a light spray or a creamy texture depends on personal preference.

UVB and UVA rays

The cream should protect against UVB rays as well as protect against UVA. “Until a few years ago, protection was mainly about UVB rays, but today it often includes UVA,” says Bertram.

The expert uses some mnemonic to show the difference: “The B in UVB stands for ‘Brand’ (sunburn). A in UVA for ‘aging’ (aging of the skin). Of course, that’s very abbreviated.” UVB radiation is therefore responsible for sunburn and promotes the development of skin cancer. While UVA helps to achieve the popular tan, it also causes the skin to age faster and wrinkles to form.

Source : Blick